From: "Temmerman" <temmerm at skynet.be> on 2004.08.06 at 08:14:57(11931)Hi,

I just happened to see on ebay that somebody is offering a titanum corm.
But it is stored dry, and the seller advises that too. Now, Indonesia is on
the equator, so it rains there all year round I'd say. I also think I read
several times that they cannot be stored dry. Can anybody tell me the
facts? Thanks and have a nice day.

Regards,
Michael

From: "Michael Marcotrigiano" <mmarcotr at email.smith.edu> on 2004.08.06 at 10:23:21(11934)I saw that listing and it looks like something to avoid. Maybe it's
dead? Who would bid on a dormant shriveled corm of anything from a total
stranger. You can buy a t.c. titanum that is green and alive - why risk
this. And the info they provide is shaky.

I just happened to see on ebay that somebody is offering a titanum
corm.
But it is stored dry, and the seller advises that too. Now, Indonesia
is on
the equator, so it rains there all year round I'd say. I also think I
read
several times that they cannot be stored dry. Can anybody tell me the
facts? Thanks and have a nice day.

Regards,
Michael

From: "Temmerman" <temmerm at skynet.be> on 2004.08.06 at 22:49:47(11939)Hi,

Thanks for your reply. However, Sumatra, Java and Borneo are one of the
most tropical islands there are. They have rain all year round, daily.
That would make me think that titanum cannot be stored dry and that on ebay,
people are going to buy a dead bulb. The picture of the auctioned bulb
looks quite dry already, although that is no absolute guaranty to know that
it is dead.

> Hi,
>
> Thanks for your reply. However, Sumatra, Java and Borneo are one of the
> most tropical islands there are. They have rain all year round, daily.
> That would make me think that titanum cannot be stored dry and that on
ebay,
> people are going to buy a dead bulb. The picture of the auctioned bulb
> looks quite dry already, although that is no absolute guaranty to know
that
> it is dead.
>
> Regards,
> Michael
>
>
> [ Scanned by JARING E-Mail Virus Scanner ( http://www.jaring.my ) ]
>

I agree 100% on the wet tropics comment. All of the Bornean species from
per-humid foerst detest drying out; nothing kills them more quickly.

Peter
Which other species are "Bornean species" please ?

Linda

From: <plantguy at zoominternet.net> on 2004.08.07 at 10:06:17(11942)Hi Peter,

Perhaps a few comments on how to store these would be appreciated by several
of us here who have not grown these Bornean species previously. Do you
leave them in their standard potting mix and occasionally water even when
dormant?? Do you allow the potting mix to dry or do you water as soon as it
is barely moist?? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

With the exception of this possibly dubious A. prainii all Bornean
Amorphophallus are endemic to Borneo. The most remarkable aspect of these
data is that thirteen of these fifteen species have been described within
the past 25 years.

We gow all our Bornean Amorphs in a 1:1:1 coconut peat (granular,
non-composted): washed river sand: crushed charcoal (2 cm max) mix in
plastic pots in a shade house not protected from theb rain. Watering is by
rotating sprinkler (20 litres/min per sprinker head) and they are fed
10:10:10 + microelements one a week. The plants are never allowed to dry out
although we cut back slightly on watering when they are dormant. However, in
our experience they are never dormant for long (max. 4 weeks) and very
frequently are thowing a new leaf even before the old leaf is showing signs
of senescence. Some of the species such as A. angulatus and A. pendulus
produce up to 5 new leaves a year. If all this sounds too good to be true
it's important to remember that the temperatures here are pretty constant
year-round (min. 22 C (71 F), max. 35 C (95 F)) and that the nursery
receives c. 5 m rain per annum. In addition being nearly on the equator are
daylight/night darkness is 12:12 per 24 hour cycle; thus the plants don't
experience long periods of cold, grey long-darkness winter days when the day
time air temperature is kept at the bare nighttime minimum. Under these
conditions the plants would need to be grown drier but even then I'd not
recommend drying out any of the Amorphs from ever-wet habitats.